In this comparative study abroad program, students rapidly improve their Spanish while exploring the current economic and social realities of the countries comprising the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). Students visit three of the four MERCOSUR member states during group excursions.

Major topics of study include:

Social realities and changing political frameworks in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay

Theory and development practice from economic, environmental, and human perspectives

Live and study in Buenos Aires.

The program is based in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, where students spend six weeks attending lectures by local university professors, visiting sites relevant to regional integration and development, and getting to know grassroots and community leaders.

In Buenos Aires, European traditions coexist with new Latin American realities. It is a city of marked contrasts, where wealth and poverty coincide. Argentina is well known for its very active civil society, which has given shape to the city’s vibrant history and current challenges. A landmark in the city is Plaza de Mayo, the crossroads for political, social, and human rights activism.

Rapidly advance your Spanish.

During the period in Buenos Aires, students are provided with numerous opportunities to improve their Spanish. In addition to classroom instruction, the program offers varied situations in which students can maximize their practice of the language, including living with a local family. Lectures are delivered entirely in Spanish.

Learn from academics and social activists in three different countries.

The program focuses heavily on firsthand experience. In Buenos Aires students visit a variety of social actors, including representatives of grassroots movements, local government agencies, worker-run enterprises, and housing cooperatives. Students observe the consequences of Argentina’s 2001–2002 economic crisis on various aspects of life and the coping strategies that are being implemented. As they spend time in different MERCOSUR states, they greatly expand their knowledge of the region’s history; recent political and economic changes; the significance and role of grassroots movements; and the economic, cultural, and social aspects of regional integration.

Independent Study Project

Students spend the last four weeks of the program focused on an Independent Study Project (ISP), pursuing original research on a selected topic of interest to them. The ISP is conducted in Buenos Aires or another approved location appropriate to the project.

Prerequisites:

Previous college-level coursework and/or other significant preparation in sociology, political science, economics, or development studies, as assessed by SIT. Four recent semesters of college-level Spanish or equivalent and the ability to follow coursework and assignments in Spanish, as assessed by SIT.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this program explores key theoretical and practical aspects of economic integration on the development of MERCOSUR countries. Students examine the history of the region, learn about the region’s principal actors, and these states’ prospects for continued social and economic integration. By traveling to different MERCOSUR member countries, students experience the many contrasts and convergences for themselves.

Language study and independent research also contribute to students’ enhanced understanding of the region’s people and overarching socioeconomic issues.

Links to syllabi below are from current and forthcoming courses offered on this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term.

Regional Integration – syllabus
(LACB 3000 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
This course provides students with a general overview of the integration process in the MERCOSUR region. Students analyze the primary social, economic, and political challenges associated with the integration efforts of MERCOSUR countries and examine the role of the different institutions and actors involved. This course is carried out in three different locations: Buenos Aires; Porto Alegre, Brazil (spring semester) or São Paulo, Brazil (fall semester); and Montevideo, Uruguay. All coursework is conducted in Spanish.

Development and Social Change – syllabus
(LACB 3005 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
In this seminar, students explore theories of development and models of social change from an interdisciplinary perspective. An emphasis is placed on comparing Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. In particular, students examine the expansion of the soy model in the region, studying its benefits and potential risks in economic, environmental, and human arenas. Throughout the seminar, students inquire into how marginalized and at-risk populations (for example, unemployed workers, migrant groups, indigenous communities, and women) are affected by these development strategies. All coursework is conducted in Spanish.

Research Methods and Ethics – syllabus
(ANTH 3500 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
In this research methods course designed to prepare students for the Independent Study Project, students learn how to organize and conduct a research project. Through lectures, readings, and field activities, students study and practice basic social science methods. They examine the ethical issues surrounding field research related to the program themes and are guided through the World Learning / SIT Human Subjects Review process, which forms a core component of the course. By the end of the course, students will have chosen a research topic, selected appropriate methods, and written a solid proposal for an Independent Study Project related to the program themes. All coursework is conducted in Spanish.

Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR 3000 / 4 credits / 120 class hours)
Conducted in Buenos Aires or in another approved location appropriate to the project, the Independent Study Project offers students the opportunity to conduct field research on a topic of their choice within the program’s thematic parameters. The project integrates learning from the various components of the program and culminates in a final presentation and formal research paper. Sample topic areas: bilateral government-owned development projects; immigration policy changes; development of corporate social responsibility; women’s political participation; changes in political participation; eliminating child labor; sustainability of agricultural export production; gender issues.

Please note that in order to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, program excursions may occasionally vary.

Excursions and Classes on the Benefits and Threats of the Expansion of the Soy Model

In the past, regional farmers across the MERCOSUR countries produced a variety of grains. Recently, this has changed because of rising soy bean prices and market demands. Today, MERCOSUR farmers produce mostly soy beans, and Argentina is the world’s third-largest producer after the US and Brazil. This transformation in Argentina’s agricultural structure has created social conflict and has also introduced potential environmental risks. Students learn about the introduction of genetically modified seeds and the social, environmental, and economic impacts of mono cropping. There are lectures and excursions on this topic at different parts throughout the program, where students are presented with contrasting views around the production benefits of soy and potential risks for the future.

Porto Alegre, Brazil (spring semester only)

During the spring semester, the program spends five days in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, a state in southern Brazil. During this period, students learn about Brazilian history, politics, regional integration, and the construction of Brazilian identity. The excursion provides the opportunity to do the following:

Visit a Landless Workers Movement (MST) camp and settlement. The MST is a national movement of individuals struggling to obtain land for small rural family producers. The MST stresses cooperative and organic food production.

Meet with a group of local university students at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) who have successfully struggled for admissions quotas for Afro-Brazilian students at UFRGS, overcoming widespread opposition and indifference.

Visit small organic producers living on the outskirts of the city who sell their produce at farmers’ markets throughout Porto Alegre.

Visit an urban quilombo, where students meet African descendants and learn about their current challenges. Quilombos were originally slave settlements, which provided places of freedom while resisting oppression and inhumane living conditions. Most of the families currently living here are descendants of slaves.

Receive instruction in basic Portuguese.

São Paulo, Brazil (fall semester only)

Over the course of five days during the fall semester, the program will visit São Paulo, the financial center of Brazil and one of the most important cities of the Southern Cone. During this period, students learn about Brazilian history, politics, regional integration, and the construction of Brazilian identity. The excursion will be conducted in partnership with the IIEP, a nonprofit organization that develops and participates in research and seminars on issues surrounding labor relations and education. The excursion provides the opportunity to do the following:

Receive lectures at the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas from well-known professors from the University of São Paulo on themes related to Brazil’s recent history and current reality as well as the changing regional and international agendas of Brazil.

Meet with an international human rights organization, CONECTAS, to discuss inequalities in urban settings and talk with representatives of the World March of Women.

Receive an introduction to samba through an informal talk with afrodescendent youth and an evening samba show.

Visit a Landless Workers Movement (MST) school and settlement in São José dos Campos. The MST is a national movement of individuals struggling to obtain land for small rural family producers. The MST stresses cooperative and organic food production.

Uruguay

Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, is home to the headquarters of the regional trade organization of MERCOSUR as well as the Association for Latin American Integration (ALADI). During a three-day visit to Montevideo, and after a series of lectures in Buenos Aires and Montevideo (Universidad Nacional de la Republica), students come to understand the different discussions and challenges around regional integration in the South. Students visit both the headquarters of MERCOSUR and ALADI and gain insight into contemporary economic and political issues affecting the most equal and developed country within Latin America: Uruguay.

Paraguay

Paraguay faces important challenges in terms of political and economic sustainability, with indigenous communities, peasants, and women’s social movements persistently fighting for a more inclusive country where their voices and interests can be heard. In the capital city of Asunción, students study and analyze issues around poverty, exclusion, and contemporary and past human rights violations.

Throughout this five-day excursion, students can take advantage of SIT’s local partnership with Centro de Documentación y Estudio (CDE), one of Paraguay’s most important research institutions. The group also visits memory sites related to past dictatorships in Paraguay and other Latin American countries.

Nuria Pena, Academic Director

Nuria Pena graduated from London Guildhall University in the UK with a major in political science and a minor in French. She later earned an MA in political science from Leiden University and an MA in development studies from Nijmegen University, both in the Netherlands. She is currently a PhD candidate in social sciences at IDES-Universidad de Sarmiento. While she was born in Argentina, Nuria has lived and worked 12 years abroad, mainly in London, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. Over the years, she continues to carry out consultancy work for international development agencies on issues relating to development with a focus on gender and development. She worked for Oxfam International for five years in various positions, where she carried out several missions to West and Northeast Africa and parts of Latin America, mainly Brazil and Nicaragua.

Prior to becoming the academic director for the Argentina: Regional Integration, Development, and Social Change program, Nuria was the assistant director and interim academic director of the Argentina: Social Movements and Human Rights program.

Julieta Impemba, Homestay and Student Affairs Coordinator

Julieta Impemba joined SIT in 2012, working with program staff to finalize the details on a book about gender that will be published in the coming months. As of January 2013, she assumed the role of homestay and student affairs coordinator. Currently, she is also completing her undergraduate degree in social sciences, humanities, and economics at UADE University (Universidad Argentina de la Empresa).

Pablo Morgade, Program Assistant

As program assistant, Pablo manages program logistics and helps oversee the program’s day-to-day activities. He also assists students with any daily issues that may arise. He has been associated with SIT since 2002. Pablo received his diploma in journalism from the Lomas de Zamora University and Taller Escuela Agencia (TEA). He has worked as a freelance journalist for a number of Argentine national newspapers such as Pagina/12, La Nación, Clarín and La Maga. During the 1990s, Pablo worked in the Press and Cultural Promotion Department of the Secretary of Cultural Affairs and was the host of a rock-and-roll radio show at FM La Boca. He is the co-author of Música y Dictadura – Porqué Cantábamos (Music and Dictatorship – Why We Were Singing).

Faculty and lecturers typically include:

Marcela Cerrutti, PhD

Dr. Cerrutti is in charge of the thematic seminar’s module on regional migration. Dr. Cerrutti holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Buenos Aires, a master’s degree in social sciences from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO ARGENTINA), and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is an adjunct member of the National Commission of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and a full-time researcher for the Population Studies Center. She has received a number of scholarships and fellowships from important institutions such as the Ford Foundation, the Organization of American States, the Population Council of the Texas University at Austin, the Mellon Foundation, the Fogarty Program, the Antorchas Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Jacobs Foundation, among others. She has been a consultant for international organizations such as CEPAL, CELADE, PNUD, and UNICEF.

Ernesto Cussianovich, MA

Mr. Cussianovich directs the thematic seminar’s module on Argentine history. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Buenos Aires and has completed postgraduate studies in the UK and Spain. He holds a master’s degree in economic history from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a diploma in management of nonprofit organizations from the University of San Pablo CEU, Madrid. He is currently a professor at Torcuato Di Tella University, teaching courses on Argentine history and a seminar on the origins and evolution of the Peronist movement. Additionally, Mr. Cussianovich teaches a seminar on budget and taxation in the Public Policy Department at Torcuato Di Tella University. His current research is in the area of Argentine economic history with a focus on fiscal history and taxation. He has also worked as a teacher and researcher at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and as manager of governance and society at the British Council.

Laura Perelman, MA

Ms. Perelman directs the thematic seminar’s module on social change in Argentina. Ms. Perelman has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Buenos Aires and holds a master’s degree in political science from San Martin University. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Buenos Aires. She specializes in labor markets, government regulation, and union intervention in social conflicts. She has worked as an external consultant for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Germán Pinazo, ABD

Germán Pinazo is in charge of the thematic seminar’s module on economic development. Mr. Pinazo holds a master’s degree in political economics with a focus on the Argentine economy from FLASCO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales). He is a doctoral candidate in social sciences at the National University of Buenos Aires. Currently, he is a professor and researcher of political economics at the National University of General Sarmiento. He is the author of several refereed articles, such as “Desarrollo latinoamericano en el marco de la globalización” (2011), working papers, and other publications.

Hernán Soltz, MA

Mr. Soltz is in charge of the thematic seminar’s module on regional economy. Mr. Soltz has a bachelor’s degree in economy from the University of Buenos Aires and is currently a PhD candidate at the same university. He is a member of the Board of the National Commission of Foreign Trade (Ministry of Economy and Production). He is an adjunct researcher with the Globalization Study Program at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in Buenos Aires. He currently teaches at different private and public universities.

Ivaldo Gehlen, PhD

Ivaldo Gehlen is the academic coordinator of the program’s seminar in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is also a senior professor at Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS). Dr. Gehlen holds a BS in sociology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (1975); a master’s degree in sociology from UFRGS, Brazil; and a PhD in sociology from the University of Paris X, Nanterre, France. He specialized in adult learning and integral rural development at the Regional Center for Adult Learning in Mexico. Dr. Gehlen’s research areas are social movements and agrarian reform in southern Brazil, rural settlements, inequality and social differences, social training in rural areas, agro-industry, and assessment of social realities in rural areas. He has taught classes on planning and management of projects for rural development as well as social inequality in rural areas.

Alvaro Hugo Rico Fernández, PhD

Alvaro Rico is the academic coordinator of the program’s seminar in Montevideo, Uruguay. Additionally, he is a senior professor and researcher at the University of the Republic Uruguay. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from Moscow State University, Russia. In recent years, he has been part of a major and groundbreaking research project on the disappeared, state terrorism, and human rights violations under the last Uruguayan dictatorship (1973–1985). He is currently working on a research project on ideology and social imagination in Uruguayan recent history.

Quintin Riquelme, MA

Quintin Riquelme is the academic coordinator of the program’s seminar in Asunción, Paraguay. He has a master’s degree in development with a concentration in social anthropology and the environment from the National University of Asunción (Paraguay). He is a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Rural Studies (CERI) and at the Center for Documentation and Studies (CIEE). He also serves as Department Chair for the Faculty of Philosophy at the National University of Asunción. He is the author of Without Land in Paraguay: Land Conflicts and Peasant Movement (2003), CLACSO.

Live with a host family in Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires.

For most of the program, students live with a host family in Buenos Aires. Host families provide the perfect opportunity to improve language skills and give students insight into urban Argentine life. Through the homestay, students discover the habits, customs, and values of Buenos Aires’ residents. Host families come from middle-class backgrounds and work in many different fields.

Typically, host families live in apartments or small houses located in the Recoleta, Palermo, Caballito, Villa Crespo, Boedo, Nuñez, and Belgrano neighborhoods, all of which are relatively close to Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social, where many classes are held. All host families share a strong interest in having a valuable educational exchange experience with their SIT student.

Students have the opportunity to engage not only in their host family's daily routines — which could include shopping, family dinners, and visits with neighbors — but also in cultural activities. Many students join their host family in visiting museums, going to concerts, spending time at neighborhood street markets, attending sports events such as soccer matches, taking weekend trips, or enjoying family celebrations, including birthday parties and national holidays.

Other accommodations during the program include small hotels and hostels.

SIT Study Abroad alumna describes how her experience studying abroad in Argentina positioned her for future academic success, including receiving a Fulbright grant.

Studying with SIT in Argentina gave me the opportunity to understand development and social change at a personal level and provided me with links to real communities and people whose daily lives are deeply affected by global integration and development. Read more.

Independent Study Project (including a stipend for accommodation and food)

Health insurance throughout the entire program period

Room & Board:$3,920

The room and board fee covers the following program components:

All accommodations during the entire program period. This includes during orientation, time in the program base (Buenos Aires), on all excursions, during the Independent Study Project, and during the final evaluation period. Accommodation is covered either by SIT Study Abroad directly, through a stipend provided to each student, or through the homestay.

The homestay (12 weeks in Buenos Aires)

All meals for the entire program period. Meals are covered either by SIT Study Abroad directly, through a stipend, or through the homestay.

Estimated Additional Costs:

International Airfare to Program Launch Site

International airline pricing can vary greatly due to the volatility of airline industry pricing, flight availability, and specific flexibility/restrictions on the type of ticket purchased. Students may choose to take advantage of frequent flyer or other airline awards available to them, which could significantly lower their travel costs.

Visa Expenses: $360

Immunizations: Varies

Books & Supplies: $70

International Phone: Each student must have a phone in each country. Cost varies according to personal preferences, phone plans, data plans, etc.

Discretionary Expenses

Personal expenses during the program vary based on individual spending habits and budgets. While all meals and accommodations are covered in the room and board fee, incidentals and personal transportation costs differ depending on the non-program-related interests and pursuits of each student. To learn more about personal budgeting, we recommend speaking with alumni who participated in a program in your region. See a full list of our alumni contacts. Please note that free time to pursue non-program-related activities is limited.

Please Note: Fees and additional expenses are based on all known circumstances at the time of calculation. Due to the unique nature of our programs and the economics of host countries, SIT reserves the right to change its fees or additional expenses without notice.

SIT was founded as the School for International Training and has been known as SIT Study Abroad and SIT Graduate Institute since 2007. SIT is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education